Pump liner adjuster



Dec. 13, 1960 D, L, ROGERS PUMP LINER DJUSTER Filed OCT.. 27, 1958 FIG. 2

FIG. 3

DONALD L. ROGERS INV ENTOR.

ATTORNEY FIG. 4

QW- l' nig tate i arent @3,984 Patented Dec. 13, 1960 ddee PUB/D LINER ADJUSTER Filed Oct. 27, 1958, Ser. No. 769,755

2 Claims. (Cl. ID3-216) The present-invention relates to the oil industry and more particularly to slush pumps.

Heavy duty slush pumps, commonly known as mud hog pumps, are used in the oil industry for pumping drilling fluid down the bore of drill pipe. These cylinder and piston equipped high pressure pumps are provided with cylinder liners, longitudinally adjustable with respect to the cylinder wall, to `maintain a seal with the piston; this adjustment is conventionally accomplished by a liner cage in contact with a screw threadedly carried by the cylinder head, which is moved by tightening the screw which in turn moves the liner and compresses packing between the liner and the cylinder wall.

The principal objection of this type of arrangement resides in the fact that the adjusting screw oxidizes or becomes corroded and can not be yeasily turned to move the liner cage and liner.

lt is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to replace such liner adjusting screws with hydraulic cylinder means for adjusting the liner.

Another object is to provide hydraulic cylinder means for connection with a pump cylinder head and liner cage which may be actuated by hydraulic fluid under pressure or by the pressure generated by a conventional grease gun.

Another object is to provide a device of this class which may be installed on conventional pumps presently in use.

A further object is to provide a device of this class w ich includes a release valve for relieving the pressure on the hydraulic cylinder for servicing the latter.

Another object is to provide a device of this character wherein the pump liners may be readily and quickly adjusted for more eiiicient operation of the pump by the operator thereof each time the pump is greased.

The present invention accomplishes these and other objects by providing an internally threaded flange which is rigidly secured to the outer surface of each cylinder head in coaxial relation with respect to the threaded hole for the adjusting screw. Hydraulic cylinder means is threadedly connected at one end to the flange: The hydraulc cylinder includes a shaft axially connected to the piston thereor" and which extends inwardly of the cylinder head through the adjustino screw bore and has its inward end arranged to Contact the liner cage. Valve means, carried by the free end of the hydraulic cylinder, permits injection of uid under pressure for forcing the shaft against the liner cage and moving the liner.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when taken conjunction with the accompanying single sheet of drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, partly in elevation, of a mud hog pump cylinder, illustrating the relative position of the device when connected thereto;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view orr the device in operative position, illustrating, in dotted lines, the adjacent parts of the pump;

Figure 3 is a `fragmentary cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the valve inlet means; and,

Figure 4 is afragmentary vertical cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the valve release means.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawingsn which they occur.

in the drawings:

The reference numeral l@ indicates a fragment of the -pressure end 'of a compound pump including a cylinder 12, pressure chamber '14 and a cylinder head 16 closing an opening 'or bore 18 in the pressure chamber. The pump cylinder is provided with a liner 2? in intimate contact with the inner wall'of the cylinder. An annular recess 22 formed in the cylinder wall adjacent the pressure chamber I4 cooperates with an annular shoulder 24 on'the liner for retaining packing 26 within the recess 22. Theliner Ztl is movable longitudinally with respect to the wall of the cylinder l2 for compressing the packing y2&5 andmaintaining a seal between the liner and the cylinder wall. Aipump vpiston 2S is reciprocable within the liner Q0 for pumping fluids, not shown. The liner -20is conventionally moved by means of a liner cage 3% interposed between the end of the liner 29 and the cylinder head i6. An adjusting screw, not shown, is threadedly engaged within a central bore 32 (Fig. 2) in the head with the inner end of the screw contacting the lcage 30 while the head end of the screw projects outwardly of the outersur'face of the head so that the screw may be tightened or moved inwardly of the head to in turn move the cage Sil and liner 2l). The above description forms no Ypart of the instant invention other than to vset forth aworkable combination with which the instant invention is designed to be used.

In carrying out the invention an internally threaded tubular member or flange 4d is rigidly secured, as by welding, to the outer Surface or" the cylinder head 21.6 in coaxial alignment with the adjusting screw bore 32. Hydraulic cylinder means 42 is threadedly received at one end by the flange 4i). The cylinder means 42 includes a cylinder body 43 and a piston A having an axially connected shank or shaft 46 which is closely received by the adjusting screw bore 32 and which projects inwardly of the pump cylinder head 16. The inward end of the shaft 46 is reduced in diameter, as at 47', and is adapted to t in a central recess formed in the liner cage Eil. The piston 44- is provided with packing 5d and a removable head end 52 opposite the shaft i6 for Vperiodically replacthc packing 52 and maintaining the same sealed with the inner wall of the cylinder body d3. A1 annular shoulder 54 formed on the inner wall of the cylinder body adjacent its theadedly connected end acts as a stop for receiving packing 55 and a packing ring S for sealing with the periphery of the shaft 46.

The free end of the cylinder body i3 is closed by a removable head 6i). The head 69 is longitudinally drilled through (Fig. 3) on an axis parallel with the wall of the cylinder body 43, as at 62, and provided with a conventional grease gun fitting del for admitting fluid or grease, not shown, into the bore of the cylinder body 43 for forcing the piston 44 and shaft 46 inwardly toward the liner Ztl. A spring actuated valve 66 prevents loss of any hydraulic fluid pressure through said fitting 64. Pressure relief valve means 68 (Fig. 4) carried by the cylinder body head eil permits releasing the hydraulic iluid when desired. The relier valve means is formed by a `core 79 drilled through the head 60 on an axis parallel with the wall of the cylinder body 43 and a lateral bore '72 perpendicular to the bore '7d for communication between the bore 7d and the periphery of the head 6d. A valve 74 seats against the inward end of a screw 76 threadedly received by the bore 70. Partially removing the screw 76 permits communication between the bores 70 and 72 and releases hydraulic iiuid to the atmosphere.

Operation In operating the respective pump liner adjusting screws, not shown, are removed from the pump heads 16 and a flange 40 and one of the hydraulic cylinder means 42 is connected to each pump cylinder head 16 as disclosed hereinabove for existing pumps. Obviously the pump cylinder head 16 and flange 4t) may be integrally formed when constructing new pumps or for use as replacement heads. Thereafter the hydraulic cylinder piston 44 is actuated by a grease gun or the like, not shown, thus forcing the inward end 47 of the shaft against the liner cage 30 and liner 20 thus compressing the liner packing 22. Hydraulic fluid under pressure in the cylinder body 43 then maintains a constant Ypressure against the liner 20 for more etiicient operation of the pump 10. Whenever it is desired to replace packing within the hydraulic cylinder means 42 or to replace the liner 20, the hydraulic uid is released through the bores 70 and 72 as disclosed hereinabove.

Obviously the invention is susceptible to some change or alteration without defeating its practicability, and I therefore do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodirnent shown in the drawings and described herein,

further than am limited by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A liner adjuster attachment for a compound pump having a cylinder equipped with a liner movable longitudinally with respect to the cylinder wall and having a centrally bored pump cylinder head closing the cylinder, said pump having a liner adjusting cage interposed between said pump cylinder head and the adjacent end of said liner and in intimate contact with the latter, including: an internally threaded annular flange secured to the outer surface of said cylinder head in co-aXial alignment with the bore therein; a hydraulic cylinder having an inner end threadedly engaged by said flange and having an externally threaded outer end, said hydraulic cylinder having a partition wall spaced outwardly of said inner threaded end, said partition wall having a central bore co-axial with respect to the bore in said pump cylinder head; a piston reciprocably mounted in said hydraulic cylinder; a shaft fixed to said piston and extending slidably through said partition wall and the inner end of said hydraulic cylinder and through said pump cylinder head, said shaft having its free end disposed in the pump and bearing against the liner adjusting cage; a packing ring surrounding said shaft and threadedly engaged with the wall forming the bore of said hydraulic cylinder adjacent its inner end; packing interposed between said packing ring and said partition wall for sealing around said shaft and preventing entry of a uid medium under pressure from said pump into said hydraulic cylinder; a

hydraulic cylinder head threadedly engaged with the outer end of said hydraulic cylinder, said hydraulic cylinder head having a bore therethrough; and a valve mounted within the bore of said hydraulic cylinder head for admitting a iiuid under pressure and moving said piston thereby adjusting said liner.

2. A liner adjuster attachment for a compound pump having a cylinder equipped with a liner movable longitudinally with respect to the cylinder wall and having a centrally-bored pump cylinder head closing the cylinder, said pump having a liner adjusting cage Vinterposed between said pump cylinder head and the adjacent end of said liner Aand in intinlate` contact with the Alatter, including: an internally threaded annular ange secured to the outer surface of said cylinder head in co-aXial alignment with respect to the bore therein; a hydraulic cylinder. having an inner end threadedly engaged by said ange and having an externally threaded outer end, said hydraulic cylinder having a partition wall spaced outwardly of its inner threaded end, said partition wall having a central bore co-axial with respect to the bore in said pump cylinder head; a piston reciprocably mounted in said hydraulic cylinder, said piston having a diametrically reduced outwardly directed threaded end deiined by an abrupt shoulder medially the ends of said piston, a piston head threadedly engaged with the outwardly directed end of said piston; packing interposed between said piston shoulder and said pistonV head for sealing with the wall of'said hydraulic cylinder; a shaft fixed to the end of said piston opposite its head end, said shaft extending slidably through said partition wall and the inner end of said hydraulic cylinder and through said pump cylinder head, said shaft having its free end disposed in the pump and bearing against the liner adjusting cage; a packing ring surrounding said shaft and threadedly engaged with the wallforming the bore of said hydraulic Vcylinder adjacent its inner end; packing interposed be- References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,518,787 Huhtala Aug. l5, 1950 2,770,510 Collins Mar. 13, 1956 2,786,425 Yarbrough Mar. 26, 1957 2,784,040 Head Mar. 5, 1957 2,802,424 Lee A-ug. i3, 1957 

